I understand that, college has asked you learn about MATLAB. There is a lot about it on the net. You could simply search and get to it.
Anyway, I will give a small introduction about it.
It is a high level language and an interactive environment to perform highly computational tasks faster than C++ and Fortran for scientific computing. MATLAB is short for Matrix Laboratory. There are several commands to perform matrices, integration , differential equations etc. in this language.
It is used in a wide range of applications like signal processing, image processing, communication, for space craft design, car manufacturing, financial prediction etc.
This is being accepted by engineering and scientific community all over the word. It has also become apart of the curriculam of a large number engineering colleges all over the world.
By installing this software in the computer (Student educational verions are available for downlaod) and learning simple commands we can model or plot the graphs of function and equations.
Key Features
- High-level language for technical computing
- Development environment for managing code, files, and data
- Interactive tools for iterative exploration, design, and problem solving
- Mathematical functions for linear algebra, statistics, Fourier analysis, filtering, optimization, and numerical integration
- 2-D and 3-D graphics functions for visualizing data
- Tools for building custom graphical user interfaces
- Functions for integrating MATLAB based algorithms with external applications and languages, such as C, C++, Fortran, Java, COM, and Microsoft Excel
There is Free version similar to MATLAB known as Freemat (Open License) available in the net.
There are numerous Tutorials available. Some links are given below.
http://www.indiana.edu/
http://www.nr.com/
http://www.mathcom.com/
